Issue - meetings

The Council’s Parks Development Manager gave the Sub-Committee a presentation on the Council’s parks and open spaces.

The presentation outlined that the Council managed 100 parks and open spaces including 4 country parks and also detailed the works carried out managing the parks, including the management of maintenance, parks ranger service and parks management and a formal inspection system.

The Sub-Committee were informed that officers were also tasked with capital project management and external funding applications, which formed part of the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy.

In total, the Council maintained and managed 41 play areas including 26 recreation/fitness areas.

The Council also managed 27 allotments including liaising with allotment societies, the management of Public Right of Ways, including liaising with ramblers and with 18 friends of parks groups.

The Sub-Committee noted that the team also dealt with the management of Green Flag applications and that the Council currently had 13 parks that held Green Flag status.

Officers advised that they dealt with event and activities management, management of leases and licences and the management of sports pitch hire.

Marketing of the parks and open spaces was carried out using social media, the website, brochures and press releases. Members were informed that a Friends group forum was recently organised to assist with marketing events in parks.

Going forward, officers informed the Sub-Committee that a further Green Flag application had been made for Langtons Gardens and the retention of existing parks.

It was also indicated that the service would continue to apply for London in Bloom in the Best Borough category.

Officers would continue to work with private companies that wanted to invest in the parks and help the service to be more commercial in order to generate income.

Officers continued to research through the London Parks Benchmarking Group and Parks for London, to source ideas for additional income generation.

Improved publicity of the parks and open spaces would continue with new brochures, web pages and the use of the events management website “Filmapp” which allowed filmmakers to book to use parks or open spaces when filming.

Improved parks condition and safety inspections were been carried out using the “Commontime” software that was currently used by Housing Services.

The Sub-Committee was informed that parks maintenance was carried out by an in-house team which made more financial sense than using outside contractors.

Members were informed that arrangements were in place to carry out bio diversity surveys in the country parks to ascertain exact numbers of wildlife and insects.

The Sub-Committee noted the presentation and thanked the Parks Development Manager for attending.